1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to missile systems, and in particular to control systems for missiles and rocket engines.
2. Background of the Related Art
Throttling control valves, such as used for divert thrusters for rockets and missiles, have typically involved a pintle that can be moved into and out of a convergent portion of a single convergent-divergent nozzle. Such mechanisms add significant amounts of mass to divert attitude control systems. In addition, the pintle and its corresponding actuation system are generally located internally, where they disadvantageously may be exposed to a high-pressure, high-temperature environment of combustion-product gasses used to produce the thrust.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that some improvements may be possible for throttling control valves for divert thrusters.